


Sunrise

by Jubokko, LazarusII



Series: KakaIru One-Shots to Heal (or Break) Your Heart [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Established Relationship, Fanart Included, Headmaster Iruka, KakaIru Fest Summer 2020, Kakashi Thinking About His Past, M/M, Memories, Peaceful, Post-Hokage Kakashi, Vacation, Water, kakairu - Freeform, sunrise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:40:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25807525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jubokko/pseuds/Jubokko, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazarusII/pseuds/LazarusII
Summary: “Peaceful places, moments like this… I just wish that they could be here to see it, you know?” Kakashi’s words were spoken softly, but Iruka could hear a hint of pain reflected in his voice.“You deserve this, Kakashi,” Iruka whispered. “Please don’t ever forget that.”
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Series: KakaIru One-Shots to Heal (or Break) Your Heart [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821832
Comments: 6
Kudos: 64
Collections: Nine Weeks of Summer 2020





	Sunrise

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> Before I say anything more, I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to the amazing [BooleanWildcard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooleanWildcard) for beta-ing this work and making me feel x1000 more confident about my writing!! 
> 
> This fic is for Week _Four_ of the [Kakairu Nine Weeks of Summer](https://kakairu-fest.tumblr.com/post/624022808885936128/july-23rd-in-japan-is-umi-no-hi-sea-day-or-marine)!  
> The theme that I will be following for this one is *dun dun dun* -- _water_.  
>   
> While editing, I might have shed a few tears because my music playlist suddenly decided to play ["I've Seen Too Much" ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpBtgcehS7w) and emotionally wreck me.
> 
> Anyways, I'll stop rambling--Hope you all enjoy!
> 
> PS-Let it be known that Iruka wasn't really a coffee drinker until Kakashi became Hokage (and practically lived off caffeine).  
> 

The first rays of sunlight had just made their way into the sky, sending streaks of orange and pink across the darkened canvas. 

Iruka pushed back the sliding door with a sigh, revealing the screen behind it. The outside air was crisp, and a little bit chilly. He could smell the sweet scent of dew and freshly-cut grass as the breeze entered the cabin. 

As Iruka moved, the steaming mug of coffee he held in his hand nearly spilled over. He cursed softly. 

Just beyond the lawn, water expanded on either side of the forest-enclosed lot as though a great mirror had laid itself across the terrain, glassy and impossibly still. The inverted reflection in the water of the still-twinkling stars, impending sunrise, and distant mountains, gave the entire place an ethereal quality. 

In the midst of it all, past the dock and a solid fifty meters from shore, floated a small wooden raft. The small construct seemed to glow slightly in the morning colors. 

Iruka could see a lone figure seated there, visible only as a darkened silhouette.

He sighed, feeling his eyes soften--he’d expected as much. 

Retreating back into the kitchen, Iruka filled up a fresh kettle of water and set it on the stove to boil. The first pot had gone to the coffee, which silently stood vigil on the table, still steaming. 

Iruka had intended to start preparing breakfast, but found his hand hesitating on the stove’s controls. 

He looked out at his partner through the kitchen window. 

Iruka stepped back out into the living room, coffee in hand, and resumed the silent observation of his partner. 

Kakashi hadn’t moved an inch. Even as Iruka watched, a soft breeze kicked up from the South, buffeting the trees surrounding the cabin. Through the open windows throughout the small building, Iruka heard the soft sigh of the wind. 

Closing his eyes, he leaned into the nearby wall and breathed in. He felt at peace--not quite ‘happy’ or ‘sad,’ per say, but just… at peace. And, after everything that he and his partner had been through, that was more than anything he could ever ask for. 

Setting down the coffee for the second time, Iruka slowly pushed open the screen door and stepped out onto the grass. The lawn was cold against his toes, and slightly damp--as expected. Small clippings stuck to his feet as he made his way down to the water’s edge. 

Iruka felt the wind ruffle his hair slightly and relished in its cool touch. Small waves were appearing on the lake’s surface, lapping audibly against the shoreline. 

Putting his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, Iruka made his way across the dock, eyes glued to the lone figure. Kakashi’s silver hair seemed to wave at him from a distance, as if beckoning his arrival. The man, himself, still did not move a muscle. 

Channeling chakra into his feet, Iruka stepped off the end of the pier, feeling the cool touch of the water as he moved forwards. Beneath his feet, crystal-clear water revealed a stunning view of the lake’s surprisingly sandy bottom. Every now and then, a fish lazily drifted by. 

The slight sound of the moving trees and quiet splash of Iruka’s feet moving across the water, seemed to resonate through the air. 

Iruka reached the small raft and climbed aboard, careful not to rock the floating, wooden frame. He gracefully sat himself next to his partner, and slowly leaned in to wrap his arms around the man’s shoulders. 

Kakashi let out a sigh. He had a faraway gaze, eyes directed just above the horizon. After a moment, the man leaned into the touch, the slight movement acknowledging Iruka’s presence. 

From where he sat, Iruka could see the man’s profile. He wasn’t wearing a mask, which made sense considering just how isolated their retreat was. 

It had been years since he and Kakashi had first met, and both of their faces were beginning to bear lines of age. A hint of crow’s feet were visible on Kakashi’s face, complimenting the deepening lines beneath his eyes. His jawline had become more defined, as had each muscle in his neck. 

Even if the man wasn’t his partner, his love, Iruka would’ve found the small details attractive. 

But each detail was easily missed to those who hadn’t lived with the man, and mostly invisible to the public eye. With his mask on, Kakashi seemed to have frozen in time the moment he hit thirty.

Iruka adjusted his arms around Kakashi, feeling solid muscle beneath his fingers. Relaxing slightly, he let his head fall into the man’s shoulder. 

For a moment, both of them sat in silence and watched the sun rise from behind the distant mountains. 

The wind began to kick up around the raft, disturbing the glassy mirror around them. Iruka watched the red and pink streaks blur and flicker as the reflection was tossed about by the small waves. 

A hand rose to ruffle Iruka’s hair fondly. 

For the first time since Iruka had sat down, Kakashi looked down. His gray eyes were warm, but seemed to hold a deep sense of pain. 

Iruka reached up and cupped his partner's cheek. Kakashi leaned into the touch. 

“Bad dream?” Iruka asked softly. 

Kakashi exhaled before looking back out over the water. Iruka hummed softly and dropped his hand, following his partner’s gaze. 

  
  


Another few minutes passed. At some point, Kakashi shifted, shaking the raft slightly as he moved closer to Iruka, wrapping an arm around the man to bring him closer. 

“Maa, times like this make me feel old.” 

Iruka glanced up at the man with surprise. 

“Peaceful places, moments like this… I just wish that they could be here to see it, you know?” Kakashi’s words were spoken softly, and seemingly without emotion, but Iruka could hear the hint of pain reflected in his voice. 

Above them, dawn was breaking in a glorious array of pinks, oranges, and yellows. The wind had become constant, but was gentle, carrying the sweet smell of trees and wildlife along with it. 

“You deserve this, Kakashi,” Iruka whispered. “Please don’t ever forget that.” 

Kakashi closed his eyes, “I just… miss them sometimes.” 

The admission was hesitant. 

It had taken the man years to _really_ open up to Iruka, which was hardly surprising considering the life that he’d led. Iruka had quickly learned to treasure the times when Kakashi _did_ speak of his past. Because, in those rare, sarcasm-free moments of vulnerability, Iruka did not have to guess or rely on intuition to know how his partner felt--it was _told_ to him, a gift. 

Living with the now-retired Rokudaime _did_ often mean decoding subtle body language and expressions… 

Instead of replying, Iruka found his partner’s hand and gave it a squeeze. After a moment, the man squeezed back, lacing his fingers between Iruka’s own. 

“I’m glad that we were able to come here,” Kakashi said. There was a hint of a smile in his voice. 

Iruka hummed in agreement. “It’s beautiful.” 

Abruptly, Kakashi leaned back in order to look at him, mouth curving upwards. Wide-eyed, Iruka stared at his partner. The man stuck out a finger and playfully poked him in the chest. 

Iruka blinked. “Huh?” 

Gray eyes smiled at him as Kakashi pushed him slightly with his finger. 

“... Me?” Iruka felt a blush creep up his face. 

Leave it to his partner to say and do things in the _most_ roundabout way possible--using the fewest possible words.

Kakashi nodded, his hair bobbing slightly. 

Iruka let out a soft laugh and rubbed the back of his neck, looking away as a warmth bubbled up inside his chest. 

He opened his mouth to reply, but yelped instead as he felt himself being lifted into the air. Without meaning to, Iruka flailed, hands searching for anything that could save him. His fingers brushed against a heavily-muscled arm. Instinct told him to dig in his nails and fight, but he forced himself to relax. 

In the seconds he had left before hitting the water, Iruka took in the evil grin on Kakashi’s face and the way that the morning sun cast red-orange streaks through his silver hair. 

Iruka splashed down into the water, feeling it soak through his clothes in seconds. Opening his eyes, he was greeted with a blurred, flickering view of the raft’s underside. Above, he could see Kakashi’s distorted face peering down at him. From what Iruka could tell, the man was casually standing at the edge of the raft, hands in his pockets. 

A stream of bubbles surrounded Iruka and he narrowed his eyes underwater, a smirk playing at his lips. 

_Oh, now you’ve done it._

Gathering chakra around his body, Iruka let himself fall to the lake’s bottom, feet digging into the sand. 

It was payback time. 

Iruka shot out of the water like a bullet, water exploding all around his body as he went airborne. Surprise and mild terror flashed Kakashi’s face as he tackled the man off the raft, his momentum carrying them both into the water. 

They crashed into the water in a chaotic mess of yelling and flailing limbs., 

For a moment, Iruka floated, disoriented, before the world righted itself. He bobbed to the surface, hair plastered to his face. Through the eye which was _not_ blinded by a mop of wet hair, he glared at his partner, who was roaring with laughter. 

A small loop of cloth and rubber was hanging lazily between Kakashi’s thumb and forefinger, dangling just out of reach. 

Growling playfully, Iruka lunged for the hair tie, splashing comically as Kakashi did circles around him. 

For a while they tussled in the water, exchanging low-powered water jutsu and causing a great deal of splashing. 

Iruka and Kakashi finally called a truce when they were half-exhausted and craving breakfast. 

…But it was only _after_ he’d pulled himself onto the dock that Iruka felt the light sting of his long-forgotten hair tie pinging off his arm. The thing had broken soon after Kakashi had stolen it, and now lay on the pier, a useless, frayed length of elastic. 

Spinning around, Iruka scrunched his nose at Kakashi, who was still bobbing in the water nearby. The man winked back at him, and slowly began to pull himself up onto the pier. 

Pushing his hair back, Iruka leaned into his elbows, enjoying the view. 

Kakashi leapt out of the water, his chakra positively humming in the air, and he pulled Iruka into a tight--very wet--embrace. 

For the first time that morning, they shared a kiss. 

Hand-in-hand with his partner, Iruka led the man back towards the cabin, taking one last glance back out at the lake. 

The sun had risen beautifully, and birds were singing in the trees, saluting its radiant presence. 

Iruka squeezed Kakashi’s hand tightly. There was nowhere else he’d want to be in the world--and no one he’d rather be _with_. 

The moment they crossed onto the doorstep of the cabin, Kakashi threw a towel at him playfully--only to regret the decision once Iruka attacked his hair with the rather fluffy weapon. 

Laughing, spirits high, the pair retreated indoors, so beginning their day. 

_[Absolutely stunning[fanart](https://myaekingheart.tumblr.com/post/638862037308588032/my-piece-for-the-kakashi-lounge-blogs-december) for this fic done by the incredible [myaekingheart](https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/myaekingheart/pseuds/myaekingheart)! **Please do not repost anywhere without permission!** ] _

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo do I have a thing for Iruka with his hair down?  
> ... _possibly_
> 
> While working on this, I did initially try and write from Kakashi’s perspective, but found that it just came across really really /awkward/--so I decided to stick to a POV which I’d already written in before (Iruka). I /do/ have the draft still sitting on my computer, and it _may_ get published at some point? 
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr [here](https://akumu-jubokko.tumblr.com/)  
> All questions, comments, and kudos are greatly appreciated!  
> I hope you have an amazing rest of your week <33


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